Cricket Marketplace — Terms & Policies

1. Overview & acceptance

These Terms govern your use of the Houston Chargers Cricket Marketplace (the "Marketplace") operated by Houston Chargers Sports LLC ("Houston Chargers", "we", "us"). By registering, listing a service, posting a job, booking, or making or receiving a payment, you agree to these Terms and the policies below. If you do not agree, do not use the Marketplace.

2. Our role — we are an intermediary

The Marketplace is a venue that connects Buyers (people booking a service) with independent Sellers (umpires, players, ground/venue owners, and coaches). Sellers are independent contractors, not employees or agents of Houston Chargers. We do not provide umpiring, playing, ground or coaching services ourselves, do not guarantee any Seller's performance, qualifications, conduct or availability, and are not a party to the contract for services between a Buyer and a Seller. We act solely as a booking facilitator and a payment/escrow agent.

3. Accounts & eligibility

• You must provide a real name, a unique email and a unique, verified mobile phone (we send an SMS code). One phone/email per person.
• You must be at least 18 (or have a parent/guardian act for a minor where permitted).
• Sellers must complete Stripe payout onboarding (identity + bank details) before receiving card payouts. Houston Chargers never stores your bank details — they are held by Stripe.
• You are responsible for keeping your login secure and your information accurate.

4. Fees & pricing

Sellers set their own prices. On each booking:

• Platform fee — 7% of the Seller's price, absorbed by the Seller (deducted from their payout).
• Processing fee — 4% of the price, paid by the Buyer on card payments only. Zelle payments have no processing fee.
• Tax is added where applicable and calculated at checkout.

Example (card): a $100 booking → Buyer pays ≈ $104 + tax; the Seller nets $93. The exact breakdown is shown before you pay.

5. Payments & escrow

• Card: processed by Stripe. Funds are captured and held in escrow by Houston Chargers until the booking is completed and released.
• Zelle: the Buyer sends the total by Zelle to Houston Chargers using the booking reference in the memo. The booking is reserved until we confirm receipt, then held in escrow.
• A booking is only secured once payment is funded. Until then the Seller's time is not reserved.

6. Seller payouts

After a gig is completed, Houston Chargers releases the escrow and pays the Seller their price less the 7% platform fee — to their connected Stripe account (card bookings) or by arranged transfer (Zelle bookings). Release timing is determined by Houston Chargers after completion is confirmed. Sellers are solely responsible for their own income taxes; we may issue tax forms (e.g., 1099) where required.

7. Cancellations & refunds

If a Buyer cancels, the refund of the amount paid follows this tiered schedule based on time before the event:

• More than 72 hours before: 100% refund.
• 24–72 hours before: 50% refund.
• Less than 24 hours before, or no‑show by the Buyer: no refund.

If a Seller cancels or fails to show, the Buyer receives a 100% refund and the Seller may receive a reliability strike. Processing fees on card payments may be non‑refundable. Refunds are returned to the original payment method (card) or arranged directly (Zelle).

8. Weather & abandonment

• Cancelled before start due to weather/ground conditions: Buyer receives a 100% refund or, by mutual agreement, a rebooking credit.
• Abandoned after start (e.g., rain stops play): settlement is pro‑rata for the portion delivered, at Houston Chargers' reasonable determination, or as the parties agree.
• Safety comes first — umpires/ground owners may call off play for safety, and that decision is final.

9. Venue / ground deposits

Ground owners may require a refundable damage deposit held in escrow alongside the booking. After the event, the deposit is returned to the Buyer once the owner confirms no damage. If the owner reports damage, the deposit is held pending a dispute review and may be released to the owner in whole or part to cover documented damage.

10. Disputes

If something goes wrong, either party may open a dispute from their bookings within 5 days of the event. Houston Chargers will review the booking, communications and any evidence, and will resolve it by releasing to the Seller, refunding the Buyer, or splitting the amount. Our resolution is final for the purposes of releasing escrowed funds. This does not limit rights you may have under applicable law.

11. Conduct & prohibited use

• Provide accurate information; honor confirmed bookings; behave professionally and lawfully.
• No off‑platform circumvention: arranging a Marketplace‑sourced booking off‑platform to avoid fees may result in suspension.
• No fraud, harassment, discrimination, or unsafe conduct. We may suspend or remove accounts that violate these Terms.

12. Liability, indemnity & privacy

Service "as is". To the maximum extent permitted by law, Houston Chargers is not liable for the acts, omissions, quality, safety or qualifications of any Seller or Buyer, for injuries or losses arising from a booking, or for indirect or consequential damages. Our total liability for any claim relating to a booking is limited to the platform fee we earned on that booking. You agree to indemnify Houston Chargers against claims arising from your use of the Marketplace.

Privacy

We collect your name, email, phone (verified by SMS), city, listing details and booking history to operate the Marketplace. Payments are processed by Stripe (card + payouts) and Zelle (your bank); SMS by Twilio; tax by Stripe Tax. We share only what is necessary with these processors to complete your bookings and payouts, and we do not sell your personal data. You may request access to or deletion of your data, subject to records we must keep for tax and dispute purposes.

Changes & contact

We may update these Terms; the version and effective date above will change and material updates will be notified. Questions: support@houstonchargers.com.

Version 1.0 · Effective June 2026. These Terms are provided for the Houston Chargers Cricket Marketplace and should be read together with the club's general Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.